Poisonous Strings of Fate
by Writer Beta
Summary: Coco/OC and lots of other pairings…(Rin/Toriko, Sani/Melk, Zebra/Kopuriko) An accident leaves a childhood friend of the kings in a coma. Feeling guilty, the four go their own ways. When she awakens, she's determined to bring the friends back again, but there are plenty of hurdles to cross first.
1. Not Your Fault

**Poisonous String of Fate**

**Coco/OC and lots of other pairings…(Rin/Toriko, Sani/Melk, Zebra/Kopuriko)**

**An accident leaves a childhood friend of the kings in a coma. Feeling guilty, the four go their own ways. When she awakens, she's determined to bring the friends back again, but there are plenty of hurdles to cross first.**

(-)

All characters belong to Shimabu except Sen. This is just a intro chap. Hope you enjoy. It's about 7 pages... but it's always shorter on the fanfiction page.

(-)

Chapter – Not Your Fault

* * *

"Man, this forest is huge! I can smell a lot of good ingredients!" The blue haired teenager drooled as he walked along the dirt path hidden within the giant forest of the 5th biotope.

"Don't get cocky, Toriko. I'll be the one to eat the star nut first." His red haired companion stated plainly as though it were a simple truth.

"Pssh, you'll eat them all, Zebra, if we let you eat them first." The one with multicolored hair countered walking beside them.

"Mah, we still have to find the nut, Sani." The black haired one stated calmly then glanced at the smaller person who walked beside him. "Sen, are we getting close?"

"You realize this is the Never-ending Forest of the 5th biotope right?" The blonde girl countered staring at a black device on her wrist. "Not even IGO has been able to map this place out, that we're here looking for a nut is looking for a needle in a haystack."

"But the star nut grows in a special place, right?" Toriko commented as they walked together calmly down a dirt path that was beginning to disappear the further they walked. Shrubbery began to cause the path to disappear.

Sani smirked, "It's s'posed to be a beaut'ful place. With a crystal clear lake that nobody's ever touched…"

"Who cares as long as we get to eat it?" Zebra grunted.

"You are such an unrefined beast!" Sani growled angrily.

"What was that?!" Zebra took a step towards him with a grumpy expression when Sen stepped between them.

"Shut up you two!" She tapped her device as the screens changed. "Sani's mostly right, it's an area with water which is rare within this forest. Because the water has been untouched by man, it has a special scent that Toriko can find, but we'll need Zebra's ears to listen for the Path that Walks. Coco needs to watch for the drops that are hidden beneath all the plants as we walk, and Sani, we'll need your feelers for everything else that we might encounter as well as your intuition."

Coco smiled at her, "You're very well informed."

"Since pops wouldn't tell me anything about this forest, I had to spend the week studying on this forest." She muttered bitterly obviously peeved at the president. "The ones who need training are you four, not me." She grumbled pinching the bridge of her nose as she did when she was irritated.

"Your telekinesis could always improve, as well as your vast amount of knowledge." Toriko commented while snatching a fruit off a tree as they passed by. He bit into it happily.

Sen chuckled, "Yes… but physical trips like this don't do my gourmet cells much good." Sen's body had adapted strangely to her gourmet cells and they had mostly settled in her brain. Her mental capacities had grown tenfold and granted her the ability of telekinesis, but her body physically was ultimately the weakest even below that of a normal human.

"The path is beginning to shift." Coco suddenly stated which caused the other four to become a bit more alert. The poison man took the lead now and the group began to walk in a line through the dense forest of shrubbery and trees. The trees towered over them like huge buildings but the canopy above was too thick to allow any sunshine.

With the exception of Coco, each person had a headlamp or flashlight on them with how dark the forest was. Zebra's ears were twitching as they walked. "Oi, Coco, stop."

The paused and the rustle of plants became a little more apparent. Zebra walked past Coco and began to lead the way as the sound of rustling quieted but was still there. Coco could see the electromagnetic waves from the plants but they were blending with other waves that made it difficult to pinpoint what was what.

"Toriko, do you smell anything?" Sen questioned glancing at the blue haired bishokuya.

He raised his head sniffing the air for different scents. He shook his head, "Nothing unusual… there's too many floral scents right now."

"I see. Well, as long as we follow the Walking Path we should get relatively close. Then we'll rely on your nose," She responded calmly glancing again at the device on her wrist. It displayed a general point of where they were as they moved along.

"It's a li'l weird that the president's not here." Sani brought up the topic as they followed Zebra and Coco's guidance. The president had left the training trip to Sen instead of coming himself. He had something to attend to at IGO.

"Well, you guys are about done with basic training that pops has been dragging you through. Pretty soon you guys will be able to go and train on your own so that you can enter the Gourmet World." The blonde explained while her green eyes blinked through the darkness.

"Are you going to follow in your father's footsteps?" Coco asked glancing back at the girl who was in pace behind him. Different plants shifted beneath them as they walked in a strange zigzag path. Sen was quiet for a moment before laughing.

"I have no idea. I'm not sure I like the idea of the title of President of IGO."

Toriko beside her ruffled her hair, "Well that's fine isn't it? You can just be whatever you want."

She laughed pushing his hand off. "Yeah, I'll worry about it another day. For now…"

"Ooh, I'm picking up on a different scent! It's faint, but I can smell fresh mineral water…" Toriko declared excitedly walking a bit faster.

Sen grabbed Toriko's arm. "Don't just start walking towards it. From here, we need Coco's eyes." She grabbed the man's arm and smiled up at him. He smiled right back and moved up ahead with Zebra and Sani now in the back. Following Toriko's nose and Coco's eyes, they managed to make it to a clearing that seemed to sparkle by itself.

"Whoa, it's so beaut'ful!" Sani declared as they stepped into the clearing where the lake was. It was a large lake around 100 years by 70 yards and though the canopy above covered the sunlight, the lake itself seemed to emit its own light.

Coco nodded with agreement, "Even though the rest of the forest is so dark… it's so bright here."

"And look, there's the Star Nut tree!" Toriko declared pointing towards the middle of the lake. The tree had sprouted out of the water and shimmered in the middle.

Sen glanced around warily. Zebra glanced at her, "Is something wrong?"

"This is a training ingredient… it can't be this easy." She stated calmly wondering what could possibly be wrong with this beautiful place.

"Well, maybe we got lucky," Toriko stated starting towards the water. "And even if there is something, we can handle it."

"Toriko, wait!" Coco stated staring at the water.

"What? Come on, the fruit's right there!" His appetite was getting the better of him. Zebra too was growing impatient and edging towards the water.

Sen realized what Coco was looking at yanked the four kings back with her telekinesis right as a bolt of electricity shot from the water. "That's a…"

A large serpentine beast without any eyes a long body covered in crystals rose from the waters with a loud cry. It dove back in though and circled the waters below waiting for the group to step closer to the water.

"What the hell was that?!" Sani shouted his heart now beating quickly from the shock.

"That's a… Gourmet World beast." Sen stated as they stood at the edge of the forest now. There was very little land between the forest and the lake. "It's a Mineral Beast. Its body contains rocks and crystals much like the water around it and its skin blends in with the background, but it's in particular known for its ability to emit electricity."

Zebra smirked, "So it's a cocky beast."

"Careful guys, I'm not sure this is a beast we can take." Sen was sincerely shocked to see this beast living in these waters. She was certain that this shouldn't be here and something was off. "I think… it might be better to head back."

"We can take it." Toriko stated with a huff. "Finally we can test our skills against a Gourmet World beast…"

"I'll destroy that cocky beast." Zebra stated stepping forward and opening his mouth. "Voice…"

"At close range?! You idiot!" Sani screamed blocking his ears as the others did. The sudden shockwave knocked Sen to the ground while the others were able to hold their ground. The water of the lake went soaring into the sky and several of the surrounding trees were knocked down with the blast.

Sen winced as the waters poured down from above. Zebra stood there but before he could blink a tail slammed him into some of the trees. With a loud cry, the serpent rose up again now looking pissed. "Zebra!" Toriko shouted but quickly dodged another swing. "This thing is fast even without water?!"

"It only lives in water for protection. It hunts on land!" Sen shouted now in a tree to evade the attacks. "You guys aren't ready for a Gourmet World beast of this level!"

"The nut is right there! We can do this!" Toriko shouted as Zebra returned to the battlefield. "3 Ren…" The blue haired bishokuya ran at the beast with his fist. "Kugi Punch!" The beast was knocked back a little by the attack but started sparking electricity causing Toriko to back off quickly. "This thing can give off electricity anywhere?!"

"Doku hou!" A cannonball of poison was launched towards the beast, but it was quick enough to evade. Its high speed combined with its lethality of attacks made it a dangerous foe. It knocked Coco away as well.

"Hair lock!" Sani attempted to get his feelers around the beast but was immediately shocked and gasped in pain. "Geh!" He winced as the electricity traveled through his body. "This thing… even through my feelers…"

Sen pulled the four back towards her while the enraged beast tried to attack them again. "You boys are too reckless… but the fruit is right there… all right, I'll bind the thing for as long as I can. Coco, I'll rely on your poison too to try to slow it down. Toriko, Zebra, and Sani go after the fruit. You probably have a minute maximum."

"That's long enough." Toriko huffed with a smirk.

Sen looked up towards the beast and held out a hand. "Restrict." A green aura surrounded the beast as it roared. It twitched as it could no longer move. "Go!"

"Doku hou!" Coco aimed another shot into its face. This time it was sent straight down its open mouth. Toriko, Zebra, and Sani dashed towards the tree. Sani even had his feelers out to grab it. They weren't expecting the beast to suddenly release electricity in a frenzy as it couldn't move.

The sudden burst of electricity caused Sen to break her concentration and the beast managed to hit the three boys causing them to cry out in pain. Sen grabbed the boys with her ability and pulled them into the forest away from the range of the beast but it reacted using its tail now to grab Sen.

"Sen!" Coco shouted.

The eel like beast curled around Sen sparking causing the girl to scream. "GAH!"

Coco aimed his purple hand towards the beast but couldn't aim without hitting Sen. The beast roared and opened its mouth. It suddenly spewed forth a familiar purple liquid drenching Sen.

"Voice Missile!" The sudden attack caused the beast to drop Sen. Toriko grabbed her and ran towards the forest.

"Come on, we're retreating!" He shouted and the other three followed his lead disappearing into the dark forest away from the beast that tried to follow at first but couldn't maneuver into the thick groove of trees.

(-)

"Aghh…" They were within the forest now and had set Sen against a tree. The boys had wiped the purple poison off as best as they could but it was obvious that it was taking its effect.

"The President is on his way, but…" Sani had contacted them immediately as soon as they were able to. "In this forest… and with her condition…"

Sen breathed heavily feeling nothing but raw pain emanating in her body.

"Shit…" Toriko swore clenching his fist. His friend was dying in front of him and there was nothing he could do about it.

Coco couldn't believe that his poison was the one killing her off right now. He clenched his fists too turning his head and gritting his teeth. Why hadn't they just retreated? Why did his attack have to backfire?

"Boys." Sen spoke through pained breaths. "Listen to… what I say." Her breathing intensified as she spoke.

"Don't try to talk!" Coco ordered just about ready to cry. The other four were just as distressed.

"No matter what happens… this… is… not your fault…" She forced the words out just as she forced a smile at the end of it. Her eyes began to close and the sound of her heavy breathing began to lessen.

"Sen, oi Sen!" Sani's feelers were up and already trying to determine if there was anything he could do. "Shit, I can't do an emergency surgery for this…"

"No…" Coco's eyes widened as he stared at his friend's slouched figure. "Sen… can't…"

It was when the four future kings wondered if they were about to say goodbye to their friend that Ichiryuu appeared suddenly before them.

"Pops!"

The president quickly picked up his daughter, "Mansam, take care of the boys." He ordered and just as quickly vanished. The chief appeared them with his hands on his hips.

"Looks like you boys got yourself into a real mess this time. The aircraft isn't too far from here." Mansam pointed his thumb towards the direction of the craft and started walking with the boys behind. Nobody said a word.

(-)

By the time the four made it back to the 1st biotope, the president was standing outside of the hospital room with a solemn expression.

"Pops…" Toriko spoke up looking worried. Had the worst happened?

He looked up at the boys, "Sen is… alive." There must have been a unified sigh of relief at that moment, but the president held up a hand. "However… she's slipped into a coma."

"A coma… but she'll wake up soon, right?" Toriko's question was everyone's question. Would she wake up soon?

"That… we don't know." The President turned his head.

"Is it… our fault?" Sani asked feeling his eyes tear up. "Did we kill Sen?"

Ichiryuu closed his eyes, "Sen isn't dead, and that beast shouldn't have been there… but," He looked at them with an expression of disappointment, "It should have been clear that you should have retreated. You boys have become overconfident, and as a result, your friend had to pay the price. Learn from this." He disappeared down a corridor shortly afterwards. Perhaps it had been too early to say something like that, but Ichiryuu, too, felt upset. He could only blame himself for what happened to his daughter.

Coco stormed off on his own. The others probably did the same, but he didn't dare enter the hospital room right now. Perhaps he was being selfish, but until the tears that stung his eyes disappeared, he wouldn't enter that room.

'No matter what happens this isn't your fault.'

And yet, Coco couldn't blame anyone but himself. As the oldest, he should have realized the dangers, he should have listened to Sen's advice, and above all… the reason she was in this coma was because of his poison. HIS poison.

With a loud cry, Coco cried probably the most he ever had in his life and ever would again.


	2. Up and Raring to go

Originally this chapter was going to be 3000 words longer... but then I got writer's block and now that part will just be part of the next chapter. I'm just debating if I want more character development with the chars in this chap, or I want to do a little time skipping to get to the real Toriko plot...

Enjoy, review or whatever you like.

* * *

Harawata, despite its infamously bizarre food, was usually pretty packed during the day. Two things that drew in the customers were the delicious meals and the beautiful chef. For Kopuriko, the most interesting things were bizarre ingredients and people. She smiled with amusement watching the people eat. The customers were usually somewhat interesting, but the most interesting person was the one who had just stumbled into the restaurant. Kopuriko brushed her pink hair back nonchalantly as the person seemed to look around. The chef smirked; strange people piqued her interest and this cloaked figure was causing her senses to tingle.

"Oya? A strange person has entered my restaurant." The lightly dressed chef smiled happily approaching the stranger.

"Strange…? Pfft…" The shadowed figure smirked; the turban on their head shaded the upper half of their face. "You're Chef Kopuriko… it's a pleasure. I have a favor." Leaning on a long ebony cane, the stranger held something up. A glistening white envelope was held in front of Kopuriko's face; a certain seal shimmered gold on the front of the envelope.

"This is…" Her eyes widened with surprise.

"Hey isn't that…"

"Yeah, it looks like an official seal from IGO."

The customers were becoming interested now and starting to rile up. Getting a ton of attention was not all that interesting to the chef as she glanced at them. She flashed a smile at the stranger. "Come with me."

The two disappeared into a backroom that was marked 'restricted.' It led into a backroom probably designed as a break room for the chefs. The furniture was just as strangely decorated as the ingredients used by the restaurant.

Kopuriko held the envelope in one hand now and held the letter within in the other hand. Her eyes darted across the words written before glancing up at the stranger who stood there quietly, "Sen, is it? Oya, I was right… a bizarre person has appeared." Kopuriko giggled lightly to herself.

"Bizarre…? Pfft…" Sen smirked quirking her brows though it was hidden beneath her turban. She reached up tugging it off, "Regardless, Id' be honored to be your student." She bowed, her pale blonde hair falling over her face. Kopuriko's eyes traced Sen's face as she stood up straight again brushing pure white strands of hair out of her face. Her hair was streaked white in the front, but it was hardly visible with how pale her blonde hair was.

The president's daughter rarely went out into public, and few knew her face. The public hadn't heard from her in a few years now. Perhaps it was due to the lines scarring around eyes and her forehead. They were strange lines not straight but almost like burn scars darker than her pale skin. Her eyes remained closed; the scars seemed heaviest around her eyes.

"You don't have any experience… and…" Kopuriko stared intently at Sen's eyes, the person in question nodded.

"I can't see. That's correct."

"Fuu… you just might be weird enough for me to take on."

Sen smirked.

(-)

The funny thing about a coma is that it's like the person is sleeping and will wake up the next day. There is this hope that they will one day open their eyes.

It is a feeling of hope but also a feeling disappointment and pain wondering if they will really wake up.

Or will this moment be their last and will there never be a time to truly say goodbye?

The visits must have stopped at the mark of three years. Though she was never quite aware of her surroundings, she knew people were there, and she knew that they had begun to stop. It was a steady stop, not an abrupt one.

No matter what though, she was determined to wake up. It felt more like a dream than anything, but she knew that she had to wake up. She had to tell them. She had to tell him.

And then one day, her eyes opened.

With a loud gasp and wheezing as though breathing were something strange, she opened her eyes. Her body was responding, and it didn't take long for the room to become swarmed with nurses and doctors trying to get her stable.

Her father was there within minutes. "Sen," His deep voice seemed to shake and Sen could feel a hand cover hers.

"Don't… tell them… yet…" She wheezed to her father knowing that he would know who she was referring to. The president merely nodded not saying a word.

The room was busy for the next hour or so stabilizing Sen and Ichiryuu talking with the doctors about her condition now.

Sen was aware of the things now happening around her, but she couldn't help but wonder if she was still in a coma after all because all she could see was darkness.

She was certain her eyes were open, but the black abyss never faded. Light never penetrated her sight. The simple fact that she could respond to what those around her told that she was awake now. She just couldn't see.

Once the room was calm, she could feel Ichiryuu's large hand gently holding her hand, his thumb gently stroking her hand as he held it. The comfort of feeling somebody there was almost overwhelming. She felt like she had just woken up from a long nap, but at the same time, she could almost feel the years that had gone by.

"What are you thinking, Sen?"

Her father's voice disrupted her thoughts. She smiled though unsure if she actually was or not, "It's all so surreal. What felt like yesterday was actually three years ago…"

There was a pause and Ichiryuu's eyes softened. "I'm… sorry." Her father suddenly pulled her head towards his chest. She could feel his low voice rumble as he spoke, "I should have realized the dangers…" Though in reality, he really had no idea at that time about the Gourmet World beast that had sneaked its way into the human world. It was probably before he put Yosaku on guard on the road to the Gourmet World.

"Dad," She wrapped her arms around his large frame taking in the scent of her father. It was a warm scent that felt enveloping. "I don't blame you, so don't blame yourself." The feelings of a parent wanting to protect their child… she couldn't imagine what her father was feeling, but she didn't regret that trip. She didn't regret saving the boys. She didn't regret being blind.

It was a tender moment for father and daughter. Ichiryuu had always been protective over his only daughter, the only one of his own flesh and blood. There was never a moment during these past few years that he didn't regret his decision to not go with them.

"Are you crying, dad?" She asked quietly feeling his chest shake. It was very slight but noticeable to her who was leaning against his chest.

His response was a gentle laugh, "They're good tears, Sen."

She smiled at the response. Years ago, he had told her the same thing saying that he was just happy. Right now he was just happy that she was alive. That he hadn't lost another person…

Sen held him tight and stayed there for a while. "You can't blame yourself, dad. I should have retreated with the boys… but even so, I'm just glad to be alive. Being blind? Pfft, it's just like that blindfold training we did when we were little."

Ichiryuu chuckled, "The one where Toriko just about walked off a cliff?"

"That's only because you were teasing him." She retorted but laughed all the same. She paused for a moment before pulling away, "How… are the boys?"

Ichiryuu settled back into his chair beside the bed, his hand covering hers again, "They're all fine bishokuya now…"

"But?" She could hear it in his voice something unsettling.

"The boys have gone their own ways, but you can see something weighing them down. Sometimes they don't even notice it anymore. They have rarely come back here during this last year." Ichiryuu's voice was solemn. "With your condition, I'm sure they just felt too guilty to be here."

"How long have…I been asleep?" She questioned leaning back against the pillow in the hospital bed. She felt extraordinarily weak. Talking seemed to drain a lot of her energy.

"About three and a half years…" Ichiryuu responded quietly. The room was absolutely still for a moment. The hospital room blocked out noises from the outside to the point where it was nearly suffocating. "Sen?"

She grabbed her father's hand, "I could hear… what everyone was saying… when they visited. I can't remember exactly what… but I remember… I could feel their sadness… dad, you can't let any of the boys know I'm awake." She struggled a bit with the words feeling rather sluggish also trying to get used to talking again.

Ichiryuu was surprised by this, but he understood what Sen was thinking. "What will you do then?" His daughter always had a plan, back then and now.

"The boys… they'll just feel worse if I show up the way I am now… I need to conquer my blindness." Though her eyes were closed, Ichiryuu could see her determination rising. "Dad, I'm going to be a chef." It was something she had considered back in the day though for her, it felt like yesterday… She knew she had been incapable of being a good bishokuya and even more so now. "Can you help me get started?"

Ichiryuu smiled and ruffled his daughter's hair, "I'll ask Setsunon. She'll help you get started, of course, I'm expecting great things from you."

"Thanks, pops." Sen grinned. This would be the first step she would need to take before she could see those boys again, and as eager as she was to see her friends, she needed to prove herself first. 'Just wait for me guys… I promise, soon… I'll be able to see you without any regrets.'

(-)

One does not simply go to the Queen of Bizarre Cooking for training without knowing the basics of cooking. Sen was forced to observe the movements of the other chefs during the day before Kopuriko would give her some one-on-one time, though even that time was little. The chef was certainly busy most of the time. Sen had a time limit though, and she was determined not to give up.

Kopuriko would applaud her determination, but it was far more difficult than simply that. The skills needed to be at Harawata were high class skills that only veteran chefs were familiar with. It was highly unusual for a beginner to start there, but the President seemed to know what he was doing. At least, that's what Sen hoped.

By no means was Sen gifted, but she shimmered with a potential that Kopuriko could see. Her food luck was above average perhaps even above Kopuriko's. That was more probable as she lived through whatever experience that caused the horrid markings over her face.

"How do you observe the chefs?" Kopuriko questioned one day during training. She was leaning against the counter watching Sen trying to prepare one of the strange gecko ingredients in the kitchen.

"It's kind of like another sense…" Sen responded carefully while focusing on the task at hand. "Think of it like a radar. You can see the general outline of objects, but you can't specifically describe it. I've only recently got the hang of it, pfft, there are times that I can't see certain objects."

"Ah," Kopuriko glanced at her work before smiling, "That's why you have a cane?"

Sen carefully separated the limbs of the ingredient, "That… and even if I see a mountain, I still have to climb it."

"Oya, you're so fascinating." The pink haired chef smiled while poking Sen's cheek playfully. It was rare to see Kopuriko without a smile. "I have such a cute and strange student."

"Pfft, stop bothering me and let me cook!" Sen pushed the girl away but still smiled as she did so. Despite only having met recently, the two got along fairly well. Sen's easy going personality synced well with Kopuriko's free-spiritedness.

"Ah, that's right. I have to go get ingredients soon." The chef suddenly stated while Sen finished putting the ingredient on a frying pan. "Sen, you're going to come with."

"Eh? A chef getting ingredients? Pfft…" Sen quirked a brow at Kopuriko. "There are such things as bishokuya."

She smiled in response, "Most chefs used to be bishokuya. It is a little strange, but since I don't have a combo, I go alone. It's also a better way to ensure that the ingredients are fresh." Kopuriko seemed to have a lonely expression as she spoke.

With how close Kopuriko was, Sen could sense the expression on her face. She had become adept in reading the expressions of people as she had to focus intensely to try to see the things around her. Noticing the changes, Sen didn't say anything but nodded. She didn't particularly feel like prying. Everybody had their own problems. Such was life.

(-)

The Denser Swamps was home to some of the strangest creatures in the world which of course made it the perfect place for Kuropiko to find her ingredients. It was home to many different types of lizards and amphibious creatures that she liked to use in her cooking.

"Guillotine slice!" Energy slices rained down from the heavens onto the Devil Lizard. Its eyes bulged out of its head as it smashed into the ground from the guillotine attack. The black and red lizard was spiked with thorns all over its body. "Ohh… this will make a nice meal…"

"Why am I even here? You're catching everything by yourself." Sen groaned trudging across swampy ground. It was muddy and damp; her feet sunk into the ground as she walked. Her cane sunk even deeper. She huffed a little feeling out of breath.

Kuropiko laughed, "Are you already tired? You need more stamina as a chef."

The other girl grumbled, "I can't walk on uneven surfaces…" She sighed as she sunk into the ground. It was difficult to know what the ground would feel like despite that fact she could see the terrain fairly well. "Are you ready to…" She paused seeming to react to something. "Kuropiko, watch out!"

"KRAWW!" With a loud cry, a mammoth sized bat flapped its wings above the pink haired chef. It was colored different shades of green and had five glowing red eyes. Its fangs hung out like a walrus.

"A Mossy Bat…" Kuropiko evaded as it dove down at her. It seemed to target the lizard that the chef had already caught. "Oya, you're not taking my ingredient!" She swung her knife while she was flipped midair. "Guillotine…" Her eyes widened as the Mossy Bat suddenly dove down towards her again. The bat was stopped though as something smashed into it. Kuropiko landed as the bat slammed into a nearby tree. With a light thud, a familiar ebony cane clattered onto the ground near it.

Sen sighed standing there was a troubled expression, "Pfft… how troublesome… we should hurry and go."

The bat, however, rose again crying out loudly. Kuropiko raised her knife again, "Guillotine slice!" Energy waves started to fall from the skies, but the bat was able to swiftly evade them darting in between the attacks. It flapped its wings at Kuropiko sending a strong air current her way. While she held up her hands to try to block the wind, the beast charged at her once more. The chef instinctively flinched getting ready to get hit. Instead, however, she heard a loud thump as the earth began to tremble beneath her feet.

The bat was lying flat on the ground unmoving. A light hue of yellow seemed to surround it. "Pff… that was more work than I wanted to do. When I said I wanted to be a chef, I meant I didn't want to do bishokuya work ever again." Sen was holding up a hand angled down towards the bat. She was glowing the same color of gold. "Are you alright, Kuropiko?"

The bizarre queen was staring in shock. The bat seemed unconscious as though it had been knocked. Sen's cane lifted into the air and came into her hand as she stood there. "Oya… you really are a fascinating person." The woman giggled into her hand and then picked up her lizard ingredient with ease. "I'm fine thank you. Well, let's carry these back."

"Wait… you want me to carry this bat?!"

"Of course! You caught it after all. It's rude not to eat it." Kuropiko only smiled while Sen groaned. Sen had her skills as a bishokuya; she was a formidable opponent, but being blind obviously would put her in a bind someday. It was a shame. If not for the accident, Sen probably could have reached a level close to the four heavenly kings.

The bat floated above Sen's head as they began to walk. "Are you thinking about something?"

Kuropiko glanced at her apprentice before giggling, "Just that you're super cute, Sen-chi!"

"Wait Senchi? Chi? Oi… Kuropiko!" Kuropiko giggled darting on ahead away from her apprentice who was starting to complain.

'I'm looking forward to the rest of our training…'


	3. Still Moving Along

Chapter – Still Moving Along

"Sen-chi~" A voice sang as an arm came around her shoulder.

"Kopuriko?" Sen smiled as the pink haired chef pressed her cheek against hers. "What, did you come to see me off?"

"Well yeah! My student has finally graduated! I heard you got another request from your dad though." The bizarre cooking chef commented as they stood together at the train station. The station was relatively empty because of the location so they didn't draw attention from anybody.

"Uggh, enough with the student thing… I get enough of that from Tairan." She whined but still managing to laugh. "It's already been more than two years since I started."

"Hehe," The pink haired chef giggled releasing her friend. "We have such a cute student. Can't help it!" She hugged Sen tight from the side. "You really grew though. I remember when you first walked in. You didn't even know the difference between the knives."

Sen laughed pushing her friend's face, "You can't blame me for that. Jeez, I wonder what the hell pops was thinking sending me to you of all people for the basics… that was torture. The master of bizarre cooking trying to teach a newbie…"

"Well it got better with Tairan right?" Kopuriko teased releasing her friend and poking her cheek. "Such a cutie was your teacher after all…"

She rolled her eyes, "Please, we're not going to talk about the past two years of hell. I can't even imagine what's going to happen next."

"You could always take a break from that list of yours." Kopuriko pointed at the worn and now yellowing piece of paper in Sen's hands. The letters stuck out slightly so that she could read it. Years of carrying it around caused the paper to wither.

"This is the last request from pops on this sheet. He'll probably give me more after this, but following it has caused me to grow so much." She smiled fondly tucking the paper away into her pants pocket hidden beneath her cloak. Her appearance was that of a rugged wanderer with a long cloak and a cap on her head. Strands of light yellow and gray stuck out from beneath the hat.

Kopuriko giggled and hugged Sen tight again, "This is what I mean by you're so cute. Ah, you really are one of a kind though. You're already in the rankings after only two years."

"Thanks to you guys… really, thanks Kopuriko. Let's meet again. I'll come by for a meal." The sound of the train was nearing and the bizarre chef nodded releasing her friend and student.

"Of course, Sen-chi. Me too, you have to treat me at your restaurant." The train squealed to a stop in front of them. Hardly anybody stepped out. Sen nodded hopping onto the train as the doors opened. She smiled and turned and waved towards where her friend was as the doors closed. Kopuriko watched as the blind woman waved and then vanished with the train. The past two years had been a long journey for both of them, but the blind chef had become a well-known chef in that time though partly due to the influence of Tairan, Kopuriko, and Sen's other teacher. She smiled at the memory of Sen stumbling in through her doors. Despite being cold and completely unwanting of her, Kopuriko grew fond of her with time. "Sen-chi, I wish you luck." She smiled.

(-)

_Tairan's restaurant was located in a non IGO country in a lonely place away from civilization. It was semi-difficult to find as he preferred to be alone and away from public despite his desire to serve food. As a chef, he enjoyed cooking meals for people, but he still preferred solidarity. _

_That's why when he saw the professional looking letter in Sen's hand, he immediately declined. He didn't need to know that it was IGO related. Professional things meant that they would bring attention, and not only did this stranger come, but the famous Bizarre Cooking Queen Kuropiko appeared as well. _

_Tairan turned looking away from the two. They stood in the doorway of his restaurant. The customers were becoming interested in the hubbub up at the front. He had been suddenly asked to take on a pupil, and he wasn't interested in the least bit. "Teaching isn't my style." He stated simply beginning to walk away._

"_Then I will observe." Sen responded calmly. She was clad in her usual wandering clothes hiding her face. She shifted her weight standing on his tiled floor. The woman didn't seem to be deterred despite his immediate rejection. _

"_You have no business here." Tairan scoffed in response and returned to the kitchen making it clear that he wasn't interested. He disappeared behind a dark mahogany door that swung shubehind him._

_Kuropiko pouted, "Aww, what a meanie! But that's expected of Chef Tairan…"_

(-)

Sen recalled what a hard man Tairan was. It had been difficult to persuade him to even allow her into his restaurant. In total, she had had three teachers though the last one had been hell. She shuddered to even think about her last half year.

"So… are you Sen?" A voice called to her snapping her from her thoughts. Sen had managed to find a seat on the train though she was unsure of who she was meeting on this train. Her note said that she'd be joining someone else and she was to follow them through until they reached the country of Life.

The voice that had just spoken wasn't rude or arrogant, in fact, the person sounded very gentle. His voice was mellow and quiet. "Yes, are you the one my father said to meet?"

"Jeez… a request from sensei that's from the president… I can't imagine what they're thinking…" He muttered quietly as a complaint though she heard it plainly. The person sat down in the seat beside her. "Well… oh, I guess I'm Teppei. I'm a Saiseiya…"

Sen nodded holding out a hand. "I'm Sen." The window behind her was bright as the sun was high in the sky today without a single cloud. Scenery whisked on by. It was a wasteland not completely barren but still green with small shrubbery.

His eyes went to the hand held out to him, and he shook it. Looking her over curiously, he questioned, "How long have you been blind?"

"Two years or maybe five?" She responded honestly. She wasn't sure if she had been blinded immediately or when she had tried to open her eyes. It hadn't really hurt when she woke up though she could remember distinguish burning of poison on her body that day.

He nodded then put his hand behind his head, "Ah sorry, I'm not known for my tact… but you seem okay with that?" Teppei blinked a few times while the girl smiled.

Sen settled into her chair. "I don't mind. There isn't a cure if that's what you were thinking of, Teppei. You're a saiseiya so I suppose you know some useful medicinal treatment."

He persisted anyway. "Do you mind… if I take a look?" He questioned, and she nodded her head affirmatiely. She opened her eyes. "I'm going to touch above your eye to take a look." She felt his fingers reach just above his eyes. He was peering into the darkness of her eyes. "This is… you were poisoned?"

She laughed at his surprise, "You're quite perceptive. You can tell that much by just looking? Hmm, Teppei… I feel like I should know your name."

"Nah, I'm not anything special. I rarely ever talk, and I like to do things in secret." He responded pulling away and settling into his seat.

She chuckled. "Your mouth says one thing but you're doing another. Well, enough about me, Teppei… where are we going? I know nothing other than that I was supposed to meet with you."

"Eh, jeez, sensei…" He groaned again but smiled at least from the small movements that Sen could tell. "Well… I'm on a mission to preserve the Gourmet Show Window in Ice Hell." He answered glancing down.

She outwardly sighed putting a hand to her face. "Ice Hell…? I'm going to kill that pops if I'm not dead by the end of this." Despite her response, she was relatively calm.

"I take it you're used to this?" Teppei responded chuckling a little.

"I'm traumatized, please." But she smirked all the same, "So where is this train going?" Obviously it wasn't going to Ice Hell.

He explained calmly, "Ah, Gourmet Town, we'll be going with a bigger group."

Sen nodded, "All right, I'll follow you around. I'm a chef so I'm not sure how much use I'll be to you, but if this is an order from pops, I'm sure something will happen."

Teppei glanced at her then down at his hands clenching them ever so slightly. 'I hope we're not getting wrapped up in something ugly…'

(-)

"_The position of the knife is wrong. You'll ruin the flavor." At this remark, she tossed the knife on the cutting board lightly albeit frustratingly. Sen was tired of Tairan's plain responses without explaining anything. "You can quit if you want."_

_She gritted her teeth ever so slightly but shook her head. "I'll get it."_

"_Hmmph, you're persistent." She stood staring at the cutting board with her blind eyes but could sense Tairan moving to the other side of the kitchen without a word. _

_Kopuriko at the very least had accepted her. Tairan on the other hand… honesty, he probably had only accepted her because of his interest in her poisoning. She brought a hand to trace the scars around her eyes. To her fingers, they felt only like slight bumps across her skin, but they were much more than that. Though she couldn't see her face, she could see the reactions of others to her face. It was enough to tell her that something was obviously wrong. _

_She honestly didn't hate the fact she was poisoned. It set her life in motion in another way, but from time to time, she found herself mourning over the loss of her actual sight and a normal appearance. She picked up the knife again in her frustration and decided to figure out the ingredient in front of her face for now. She didn't notice Tairan's interested expression as he watched her._

(-)

More than ever, her mind seemed to reflect on the past two years. Memories replayed in her mind, emotions swirled like a tornado. She had forced herself to grow a lot in the past two years, both as a person and as a chef. The sudden opening and closing of the door caught her attention. She shifted into a more comfortable sitting position on the bed.

"Did you get any information?" Sen had been waiting in the hotel while Teppei had gone off on his own to gain information. The two of them parading together would have been too much attention. She was tired anyway and decided to stay in the hotel room they had rented. The Gourmet News was playing idly on the TV. Teppei had just entered the room and was taking off his mask.

He heaved a sigh thankful that he could breathe. "Tomorrow morning the boat leaves…" He responded quietly throwing his things to the floor and sitting on the other bed in the room. Sharing a room was cheaper and since there were two beds, neither saw a problem with it. "Do you have a suit for tomorrow?"

She had a thoughtful expression on her face, "A lighter suit, right? Yeah, I actually do. Pops sent me this before I left. Seems like he's always on top of things…" She touched the black suit laid out beside her that was lined with yellow bands. Teppei stopped talking but she could sense that he seemed to have something more to say. "Is something wrong?"

"Ah, no…" He scratched his chin. "Well, it seems that Toriko is also going on this trip."

"Toriko?" Sen's brows were raised as she looked towards Teppei's general direction. Though she couldn't see the man, she could sense his location in the room. She flopped on her back and sighed. She hadn't seen any of the boys in the past almost six years now. She wanted to meet them when she didn't have any regrets. She didn't want them to blame themselves, but if they still did, they could at least see that it didn't matter. She was a well-known chef now, but she wasn't sure that was enough. Perhaps if she could say that she braved Ice Hell… still, she'd have to evade Toriko until it was over.

"Do you have a problem with him?" Teppei questioned glancing at the news that was playing. She had been quiet for a little while as though contemplating his words.

"No, not at all… I just don't want him to see me yet." She sighed opting to fall back on her bed, "Think we can evade him for a little while?"

"I need to stay undercover too so it shouldn't be a problem." Teppei smiled a little. "Ah, afterwards, I need to go see my sensei. Do you want to come with? He may be able to do something about your eyes."

She was quiet for a moment. "I'll come with, but these eyes are dead. Not even a great saiseiya can bring them back."

"I take it you've tried."

"My father is the president of IGO after all." It wasn't like they hadn't tried different options before. Sen's eyes were literally like dead orbs floating in her head now. They didn't function and looked like the eyes of a dead man colored grey and scarred. She was fully prepared for that though, and her gourmet cells left her with some options to try to figure out her surroundings.

At the beginning, she wasn't sure how she'd be able to use her abilities, but at some point, she was able to just start sensing the objects around her. Within a certain radius, Sen could "see" objects and pick them up with her telekinesis as she could do before. She was nowhere near as skilled as she once was, but this at least enabled her to walk without a cane. That wasn't to say she didn't like her cane. It was nice to appear handicapped and gain an advantage… it was also nice to whap people on the heads from time to time. Though at current time, she was missing her cane.

She heard the click of a switch. "Sorry, turning off the lights…"

She chuckled, "Yeah, it's fine, I know I can't tell the difference." She laid there not bothering to crawl under the covers. Instead, she thought about the last thing she had seen before falling asleep for 3 years. All four boys or now kings were there. They were worried, but they were alive and well. She smiled a bit actually quite fond of that scene despite it being the last thing she had ever seen.

With that in mind, she drifted off to sleep.

(-)

"_Are you an idiot?!"_

"_Maybe I wouldn't be if you'd actually teach me anything!"_

"_Use your brain and observe!"_

"_We're not all prodigies, Tairan!" Sen screamed in frustration. He huffed and disappeared out of the kitchen. Her hand was dripping with blood from the cut she had managed to give herself with one of the kitchen knives. She stormed out of his small kitchen out the back door opposite of him._

_She breathed shakily standing outside now feeling the brisk wind of the barren wasteland. Of course, she knew that this would be an arduous journey but Tairan was insufferable._

_She leaned back against the building feeling the cool wooden exterior against her back. She closed her eyes. _

_**Coco's dark brown eyes stared curiously into hers. "Yes, Coco?" He seemed surprised and suddenly turned her red. She could see his ears tint red. "What is it?"**_

"_**You have… really green eyes." He finally said nervously. "Mine are…"**_

"_**Brown, a nice earthy brown that reminds me of nature." She answered before he could say something negative about himself. At the age of fifteen, Coco tended to brood a lot. Sen, being a year older, often slapped him back to reality. "Did you finish that book I gave you?"**_

_**He nodded seemingly a little happy that she had complimented his eyes. "It was fascinating… the island the appears and reappears depending on the season."**_

"_**The Gourmet World is…fascinating." She stated simply standing up and stretching. The two of them were seated in the library of IGO that wasn't incredibly big but still held many resources. The two often went to the library as none of the others were all that interested in reading. She grabbed a book off the shelf and starting flicking through it. "This one has information on a sea of spikes. It's limited but… tch." She bit her lip feeling the paper slice through her skin. "Paper cut."**_

"_**Let me see." Coco reached out and…**_

"_Let me see." Her mind whirred realizing that Tairan was standing in front of her with a first aid kit. Without waiting for a response, he grabbed her wrist and looked at the nicely formed slit across her four fingers minus the thumb. "It's shallow. You'll still be able to practice." He started bandaging them without waiting for consent. She stiffened but allowed him to continue._

"_Thanks…" She muttered still feeling pissed at the man._

"_A chef's hands are their life. Be careful." He warned calmly. His eyes seemed to look her over before staring back down at her fingers. "At least your face wasn't injured…" He muttered quietly._

_Sen blinked at this, remembering similar words. __**"At least you're careful with your face…" **_

_She snorted at this pulling back her hand. Tairan was more distant that Coco, but the other similarities were strikingly… scary. She wasn't sure she liked the idea of two Cocos. "Thanks, Tairan, I can handle myself." _

_He snorted in response to this. "I don't believe you." _

_She laughed feeling her anger dissipate. "He said the exact same thing. Do I appear that clumsy to you?"_

"_Hmmph, you're a lumbering idiot like a bull in a china shop." She smacked his shoulder and walked by him._

"_I am so going to get through your damn training… if only to make your life hell."_

(-)

The nice thing about cloaks was that they had long hoods. They were designed to give a mysterious appearance to their wearer.

Sen and Teppei were probably the strangest duo aboard that ship. They chose to be distant from the others for obvious reasons, though Toriko noticed their presence. He didn't pry for which Sen was thankful for. Despite having his nose, she knew that he wouldn't suspect a friend, who was supposed to be in a coma, was on this ship.

The chef and Saiseiya duo were actually pretty quiet aboard the ship. Neither of them really had a reason to say anything, and it was probably better that way. They remained distant from anything that happened on the ship. Any attention brought to them would be unwanted. Teppei seemed to notice something else that bothered him. It appeared that another party was interested in the Century Soup.

The ship arrived at Ice Hell, and Sen boarded the second helicopter before Teppei who seemed to be checking out what was happening inside. She noticed a strange person also on board, but she didn't say anything to him. She could already sense a strange aura from him, and she was certain Teppei had noticed too.

Sen silently followed Teppei to the top of the cliff where the winds of Ice Hell furiously roared in their faces. She shivered slightly though her lighter suit was doing an excellent job of keeping her warm. The frozen snow beneath her feet felt foreign to her as she hadn't stepped on anything like ice in the past two years. Teppei and Sen began to fight against the wind moving ahead of the others in the group. Sen could see that Teppei didn't seem to struggle at all.

Once they were out of earshot from anyone else, Sen spoke up. "Teppei, there were…"

"Ah, I noticed. The bishokukai are here too." Teppei remarked glancing at her sideways. "This is turning messy already."

"Pops…" "Sensei…" The two sighed simultaneously before laughing together.

Teppei was relieved that the person he was with seemed to understand his predicament. "It seems we're both used to ugly missions."

"You have no idea." She laughed, "I've had something in the Gourmet World too."

Teppei smirked, "Really? That must mean you're quite capable."

"Pssh, as if, I had help… ugh… that was a dark period of my life." She crossed her arms beneath her cloak that she kept on over her lighter suit. It gave slight insulation but not much.

They trekked across the ice through the blizzard that made it impossible to see. Teppei noticed that Sen didn't seem to have any trouble despite how cold it was. "Could it be that you've had special training?"

"More or less, only briefly though… I've had the basics of everything grounded into me. Like a jack of all trades, not particularly great at anything but good at most things." She responded putting her hands behind her head. "Like food immersion…"

"Ah, that… that was kind of difficult huh?" Teppei could remember his training through food immersion. It hadn't been an easy experience. The wind gusted around them and the freezing temperatures were definitely noticeable.

"Well, when you're blind…" Sen suddenly responded with a smirk. "But you Teppei, you seem like you're on a whole other level. Not even Toriko seemed quite up to par…"

Teppei chuckled still walking calmly, "Don't praise me too much. Sensei says it gets to my head which can be a good or bad thing."

She walked step by step beside him. "Well, for me, even with all my training, there's plenty I'm not capable of. That's why… at the very least, I need to get through Ice Hell."

The Saiseiya glanced at her, "You… seem to be carrying a heavy burden, and it's not my business. But for what it's worth, you are a capable chef."

"Thank you… ah, I'm still leaving the fighting to you. That's something I can't do." She grinned as he pouted.

"All the hard work is left to me, huh? Why are you even here?"

She laughed, "Dunno, but sucks to be you."

"Gahhh…"

(-)

"_It seems my cute student is struggling."_

"_Enough with the student thing!" Sen groaned as she hung upside down from the tree branch. Her legs were swung over it as she reached for a fruit dangling on the edge. "I'm a chef, not a bishokuya. Why am I doing this?"_

"_Stop whining." Tairan suddenly snapped. "A chef must be capable in strength as well."_

_With a sigh, she swung slightly and grabbed it yanking it slightly with her mind. She sat up on the branch then slipped off landing easily in front of him. "Yeah, I understand. You're just insufferable."_

"_So I've been told many times." The tanned poison chef stared at her for a moment before reaching out and ruffling her hair. "Good work."_

_She tilted her head, her eyes still shut. "Uh…" She didn't get another word in as he turned and started walking away. She wondered vaguely what had gotten into him before following him without much thought._

(-)

The inside of mountain was like a labyrinth, but Teppei seemed to know what he was doing. Sen was used to trekking around arduous climates, but this was the first time she was with someone who knew what they were doing. It was somewhat calming. Still, she couldn't help but wonder why she was here in the first place. This was a Saiseiya's job; a chef had no place here.

The inside was slicker than outside. Sen could walk across the snow just fine as it wasn't completely slippery, but the inside was frozen solid. She was honestly having troubles walking across the slick surface. She grabbed Teppei's arm upon slipping again.

"Jeez, can't you even walk on ice?" He groaned gazing at the blind person.

"Excuse me for being blind. I can see the objects in front of me, but I can't balance very well." She sighed then started to glow yellow. She released his arm and began to float in place.

Teppei watched with eyes wide before smirking, "That's an interesting ability you got there…"

She smirked, "Would you rather I latch onto your arm for the rest of the trip?" She began to float next to him as he walked. It honestly took more energy to do this, but she decided it was better than hanging onto him the whole time. Not that she minded entirely, Teppei had a really nice build.

"No, but that is quite interesting… that's the result of your gourmet cells?" He questioned now glancing up at the ceiling. He was noticing that the ice was starting to thicken. "Gourmet Cells sure are a wonder… ah," He signaled for Sen to be silent. A small man was walking towards them. He was surprised by their presence, but Teppei quickly rushed past the man. Sen too could sense something coming. In a second, the green haired man destroyed a flying bug crushing it between his hands. "Ah, I don't know how to use knocking on these types of bugs…"

Sen noticed another bug and grabbed it with her telekinetic powers. She was surprised by the sudden force that came from it causing her to release it.

"You best leave me alone." She heard a voice state as it whizzed by her. She spun watching it, feeling the presence disappear down the bend. A shiver went down her spine. Teppei was behind her, but he hadn't noticed the small, ominous being or at least hadn't done anything about it.

Sen vaguely wondered what exactly they had gotten themselves into.


End file.
